We spend 8 hours a night sleeping and if that positioning is one that compresses the irritated joints, correcting it can give us a head start to healing. To start with, the best positions to start with for optimal spine health is on your side or on your back.
I do not advise stomach sleeping when you have any issues with your neck because it is very difficulty to stay on your stomach and not put the neck in a position of compression. By finding a position of least stress and spending 8 sleeping hours with your neck in optimal position, you will improve your neck health. Poor positioning can compress your irritated joints and the thickness of your pillow, too flat or too thick, may cause problems. When laying on your side, If it is too flat your head drops toward the bed causing compression on the side of the neck toward the bed and if the
pillow is too thick your neck bends toward the side facing the ceiling, which compresses down on the sensitive joints on that side of the neck. This is why the pluthera of pillows advertised as neck pillows seems to be a big industry. Create your own cervical pillow to start with to see if you feel better.
Have someone take a photo of your head, neck and shoulders directly from behind to see if your neck is bent to one side. Make adjustments to your pillow to achieve the most neutral position possible. I call this position the position of least stress (PLS).
Happy non compressed neck sleeping!
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